Type wheels and driving mechanism therefor



Aug. 8, 1944. H. N. DEANE ErAL TYPE WHEELS AND DRIVING MECHANISM THEREFOR n# oooooo0000111111111o128 1 fra/@OZ V V VV V VVvvv Filed Sept. 14, 1942 Patented Aug.

TYPE WHEELS AND DRIVING MECHANISM THEREFOR Henry N. Deane and Albert E. Rockwood, Gardner, Mass., assignorsto Simplex Time Recorder Co., Gardner, Mass., a corporation of Massa- Application september 14, 1942, serial No. 458,284 7 claims. (ci. sic-125) This invention relates to type wheels and more particularly to type wheels for impressing time records. The invention relates more particularly to type wheels used to print Continental time, with the impressions rimning from "o to 2359.

It is desirable that the type wheels usedfor time stamps and other similar purposes be of' limited diameter, as clearer impressions and less tendency to smudge may be obtained Vfrom small wheels. It is also possible to install dies for reading matter nearer the point of time impression.

It is the general object of our invention to provide an improved arrangement of type wheels by which Continental or 2li-hour records can be printed from small type wheels having relatively few printing characters. 4

It is a further object of our invention to provide two coacting type wheels for printing Continental hours, with not over ten printing units necessarily used on each type wheel. We also provide improved and very simple mechanism for actuating said hour wheels in an intermittent but irregular .manner to produce the required numeral combinations.

Our invention further relates to arrangements and combinationsV of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which Fig. l is a front elevation, partly in section, of our improved type wheels and operating mechanism therefor;

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation, taken along the line 2 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view, showing the relative positions of successive feed pawls and riders;

Figs. 4 to 9 are side elevations of certain ratchet A plates and rider discs to be described;

Fig, l0 is a collective view of the type wheels, spaced apart, and also showing the printing units for each wheel; and

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the combinations used to print the twenty-four hour units.

We have shown our invention embodied in an impression device of a usual form and comprising a fixed frame 30 having a cross shaft 3i on which type Wheels A, B, C and D are rotatably mounted. These wheels are provided respectively with ratchet plates 32, 33, 34 and 35 fixed thereto and rotatable therewith, and also with notched rider discs 36 and 31 for riders 38 and 39. Feed pawls a, b, c and d coact with the ratchet plates 32, 33, 3d and 35 to feed the type wheels-A, B,

C and D respectively. The feed pawls and ridersare mounted on a rock shaft 40.

The shaft i0 is pivoted in a rocker 4I, and a spring 42 tends to engage the pawls with their respective ratchet plates. The rocker 4i is pivoted on thetype-wheel cross shaft 3l and may be actuated at minute intervals through a llink V43 from any suitable power means, such as the magnets shown in the patent to English No. 970,201, issued September 13, 1910, to which reference is made for further operating details.

VThe feed pawls a, b and d and the rider 38 are all fixed on the rock shaft 40 in the angular relation shown in Fig. 3, and each pawl becomes operative as the preceding pawl drops into a deep notch in its ratchet plate, this method of typewheel feed being well known.

The feed pawl c and the rider 39 are loose on the rock shaft 30 but are secured to each other by a stud 45 (Fig. 3). A lug t6 on the pawl c overlies the rider 38 and is held yieldingly in contact therewith by a spring 4T (Fig. 1). The usual locking pawls 48 are also provided for all of the ratchet plates.

The ratchet plate 32 has a deep notch 50 (Fig. 4) the ratchet plate 33 has two deep notches 5l (Fig. 5),-the ratchet plate 34 has a single deep notch 52 (Fig. 7) and a double deep notch 53, and the ratchet plate 35 has a single deep notch Sli. The rider disc 36 has a single deep notch 56 (Fig. 6) and a double length deep notch 5l, and the rider disc 31 has a cut-away portion 58 (Fig. 8) forming six-tenths of the periphery.

The type wheels A and B print the minutes from 00 to 59 and the wheels C and D print the hours from 00 to 23.. The type wheels A, vC and D have ten numeral units and the wheel B has twelve units. The gures forming each unit on each wheel are clearly shown in Fig. 10, it being understood that the gures have all been reversed for legibility.

The combinations of the units of the wheels C and D which are used to produce the hour numerals 00 to 23 inclusive are shown in Fig. 1l, the left-hand row of gures being on the wheel D and the right-hand. row on the wheel C. The check marks at the left of the 1eft-hand row indicate the ten points at which the wheel D is advanced.

The wheel C is fed regularly for two f ull revolutions and is then held at rest during the next four advances of the wheel D.

For descriptive clearness, the type wheels A and C are hereinafter identified as the units minute wheel and the units hour wheel respectively.

Having described the details of construction of our invention, the method of operation is as follows:

Each oscillation of the rocker lll advances the minute digits wheel A one tooth space or one numeral unit but the feed pawl a, holds all of the other feed pawls above operative position except when the pawl a enters the deep notch 50. The

pawl b then advances the minute tens wheel B one space.

After five such advance movements of the wheel B or at the 59th minute. the pawls a and b both drop into deep notches 50 and 5I and the hour feed pawl c is lowered to engage the ratchet plate 34 and advance the hour wheel C one space.

Whenever the pawl centers a deep notch 52 or 53 in the ratchet Iplate 34 and the associated rider 38 enters a notch 55 or 51 in the rider disc 36, the feed pawl d advances the hour wheel D one space.

The two successive 1s and the two successive Os on the wheel D, as shown in Fig. 10, are provided merely to fill up the ten spaces on the wheel D.

The irregular spacing of the notch 52 and the double notch 53 on the ratchet plate 34 causes the wheel D to be advanced only at the points checked in Fig. 11, while the wheel C makes two complete revolutions and prints a series of hour characters from to 9. The rider disc 58 on the wheel D then becomes operative and raises the rider 39 and the associated feed pawl c above operative position, these parts being loose on the rock shaft 40. This stops the feed of the wheel C but allows the feed of the wheel D to continue.

The rider 38 remains lowered in the second deep notch 53 while the feed pawl d feeds the wheel D four successive times, the wheel C remaining at rest.

The rider 39 then enters the cut-away part 58 of the disc 31 (Fig. 8), the pawl c is lowered, and the wheel C is advanced one space. This advance movement lifts the pawl c from the deep notch 53 and stops the feed of the wheel D until the pawl'c again enters a deep notch 52, as previously described.

By thus feeding the wheels C and D irregularly sometimes one, sometimes the other, andysometimes both, we are able to produce the twentyfour hour combinations shown in Fig. 11 from two wheels having only ten numeral units each, and with the use of a simple rocker plate having riders and pawls. Hour combinations from 1 to 24 instead of from 00 to 23 can be easily produced by engraving 24 in place of 00 on the Wheel D and revising the spacing of the deep notches in the ratchet plate 34.

While we have shown only hour and minute wheels, it will be understood that additional wheels for dates or other items may be added, as is usual in time recording.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we claim is:

1. In an impression mechanism, a pair of coacting hour wheels combinable to print twentyfour consecutive hour numeral units, each type wheel having ten numeral units only, one type wheel including the numbers 10, 20, 21, 22 and 23, and the other type wheel including digits only, and intermittently operative means effective to give said wheels successive advance movements in predetermined order to form said twenty-four consecutive hour numeral units.

2. In an impression mechanism, a pair of coacting hour type wheels for printing the hours from to 23, each wheel having ten numeral units only, means to feed the units hour wheel, means controlled by said units hour wheel for feeding the second hour wheel with the units hour wheel, and means controlled by said second rest during certain advance movements of said second hour wheel, said feeding and control means including one ratchet plate and one rider disc associated with and rotatable with each type wheel, a feed pawl for each ratchet plate, and a rider for each rider disc, and each rider being intermittently rendered effective by its rider disc to hold the associated feed pawl inoperative for a predetermined number of advance movements of said rider disc and its associated type wheel.

3. In an impression mechanism, a series of four type wheels coacting in pairs and each having a ratchet plate, a rocker, a rock shaft pivoted in said rocker, separate feed pawls for three of said type wheels fixed on said rock shaft and angularly movable therewith, a feed pawl for the remaining type wheel loose on said rock shaft, said loose vfeed pawl being normally operative with said fixed pawls, and means to render said loose feed pawl periodically inoperative for a plurality of feeding movements thereof which would otherwise be operative.

4. In an impression mechanism, a series of four type wheels coacting in pairs and each having a ratchet plate, a rocker, a rock shaft pivoted in said rocker, separate feed pawls for three of said type wheels fixed on said rock shaft and angularly movable therewith, a feed pawl for Y the remaining type wheel loose on said rock shaft,

said loose feed pawl being normally operative with said fixed pawls, and means to raise said loose feed pawl from normalfeeding position during selected advance movementsvof the coacting type wheel.

5. In an impression mechanism, a pair of associated type wheels, a deeply notched ratchet plate and a recessed rider disc'rotatable with each type wheel, a yieldingly movable rock shaft, and a feed pawl and a rider for each type wheel,

o the rider for the first type wheel and the feed hour wheel for holding the units hour wheel at pawl for the second type wheel being fixed to the rock shaft and the feed pawl for the first type wheel and the rider for the second type wheel being loose on said rock shaft but fixed to each other, and the feed pawl for the first type wheel having a portion overlying its adjacent rider and by which upward movement of said rider may render said pawl inoperative.

6. In an impression mechanism,A a pair of associated type wheels, a deeply notched ratchet plate and a recessed rider disc rotatable with each type Wheel, a yieldingly movable rock shaft, and a feed pawl and a rider for each type wheel, the rider for the first type wheel and the feed pawl for the second type Wheel being fixed to the rock shaft and the feed pawl for the first type wheel and the rider for the second type wheel being loose on said rock shaft but fixed to each other, and the feed pawl for the first type wheel having a portion overlying its adjacent rider, and means to hold said portion in yielding engagement with said adjacent rider.

7. In an impression mechanism, a pair of coacting hour wheels combinable to print twentyfour consecutive hour numeral units, each type whee1 having not over ten numeral units, one type wheel including the numbers 10, 20, 2l, 22 and 23 and the other type wheel including digits only, and intermittently operative means effective to give said wheels successive advance movements in predetermined order to form said twenty-four consecutive hour numeral units.

HENRY N. DEANE. ALBERT E. ROCKWOOD. 

